Is it safe to put Bridgestone tires on my car after all of the problems that company has been having?
Dear Car Talk | Oct 01, 2000
Dear Tom and Ray:
RAY: Wow. This is tough question, Ro. Not everybody knows that Bridgestone bought Firestone a few years ago, so now they're the same company: Bridgestone/Firestone. And, of course, Firestone is the manufacturer of the now-infamous ATX, ATX II and Wilderness AT radials that have been implicated in quite a few deaths.
TOM: We're also learning, in dribs and drabs, that Bridgestone/Firestone management might not have been entirely honest about what -- and when -- it knew about the problem tires.
RAY: So, do you buy tires from this company? Well, on the one hand, there's no evidence to suggest that the quality problems extend to Bridgestone tires. As far as we know, they were made in different plants by different workers. Maybe even in different countries.
TOM: On the other hand, evidence suggests that the company has been less than forthright with the American public and government safety officials, even when it suspected serious problems with its tires -- problems that were resulting in people's deaths.
RAY: I'm sure that after the Firestone disaster, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is probably taking a very close look at accident data for all tires. So if there are other problems out there, they'll probably come to light sooner rather than later.
TOM: For now, if I had to guess, I'd say that Bridgestone tires are probably fine in terms of safety. But you'll have to look at how Bridgestone/Firestone handled the Firestone defects and decide whether or not this is a company you want to do business with, Ro. That's your decision.
RAY: Wow. This is tough question, Ro. Not everybody knows that Bridgestone bought Firestone a few years ago, so now they're the same company: Bridgestone/Firestone. And, of course, Firestone is the manufacturer of the now-infamous ATX, ATX II and Wilderness AT radials that have been implicated in quite a few deaths.
TOM: We're also learning, in dribs and drabs, that Bridgestone/Firestone management might not have been entirely honest about what -- and when -- it knew about the problem tires.
RAY: So, do you buy tires from this company? Well, on the one hand, there's no evidence to suggest that the quality problems extend to Bridgestone tires. As far as we know, they were made in different plants by different workers. Maybe even in different countries.
TOM: On the other hand, evidence suggests that the company has been less than forthright with the American public and government safety officials, even when it suspected serious problems with its tires -- problems that were resulting in people's deaths.
RAY: I'm sure that after the Firestone disaster, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is probably taking a very close look at accident data for all tires. So if there are other problems out there, they'll probably come to light sooner rather than later.
TOM: For now, if I had to guess, I'd say that Bridgestone tires are probably fine in terms of safety. But you'll have to look at how Bridgestone/Firestone handled the Firestone defects and decide whether or not this is a company you want to do business with, Ro. That's your decision.
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